Forever and Again
by WildMustangShadowfax
Summary: Jon kissed her, and she kissed back. Terror filled her mind, images flooded her conscious... War... lies... deceit... A man with black hair, smiling icily at her... Everglade's anger... and her brother's face as he told them... Forever and Again, R
1. Horse Whisperers

**_Disclaimer:_ This is not mine, it belongs to Tamora Pierce.**

**_Author's Note: _This is set during the beginning of "King" Jon's reign, but he is still unmarried. Alanna is his Champion, and Thayet and Buri are around, but Thayet is marrying Gary--screw Cythera.**

**_Full Summary: _What starts as a mission to pull Kadina of Reliem's family out of debt, and make her Queen, becomes much more when she learns that she could possibly be the last of the Horse Whisperers, a mysterious tribe who were bonded with horses. As if this isn't enough, a man who calls himself Lord Canhoy comes seeking Kadi--asking for the last of the Horse Whisperers.**

**Kadi is swept up in magic she thought she had avoided by being born Giftless. As her world changes from what she is used to, Kadi must befriend her horse, Everglade, past the realm of reality, and into the realm of the unknown. Kadi must live the prophecy that is given to the last of the Horse Whisperers--to bring them back. . . or die trying.**

**Chapter One**

**Horse Whisperers**

"Did he ask you to dance?" Lorena sat on the edge of her saddle, looking expectantly at Kadi, her best friend.

Kadi shook her head, her black curls falling across her face. "Why should I care anyway? Mother and Father want me to marry him, sure, but what about what _I_ want? I don't want to marry our King. I'd prefer to stay a noble--I don't want to be Queen."

Lorena shook her head, adjusting in Storm's--her horse's--saddle. The two were riding in regular saddles, clothed in shirts and breeches--they had met Sir Alanna.

"But King Jonathan is gorgeous!" Lorena cried, shocked. Storm shied away from his mistress's cries, but Lorena easily calmed him and moved him back onto the trail that wound through the Royal Forest.

"Oh, pfft," Kadi said, stopping Everglade--her horse--and turning her to face Lorena. "I know he's gorgeous, but that doesn't mean I want to marry him, Lorena! Why can't anyone see this?"

"I thought you'd do it for your parents," Lorena said quietly, stroking Storm's gray neck; he tossed his head in pleasure.

"And I probably will," Kadi went on, "but I'd prefer if not everyone at Court, least of all you, cares what I do involving King Jonathan. For my family I will probably marry him, you're right. But if I take my damned time over it, than that's for me to choose. Now buzz off, Lorena."

Kadi turned Everglade around; back to the path. She squeezed with her heels. Everglade's muscles bunched, and sprung. She threw herself forward, black body pumping with power, mane flying, head held high.

Kadi let out a whoop of joy at the sheer pleasure of the flight. She only wished that she could fight too. But Sir Alanna had promised to teach her staff fighting, and Thayet said she would teach her a bow.

On and on Kadi and Everglade went. Far behind Kadi heard Lorena calling to her, but she knew Storm would never catch Everglade--she was too fast, too big. In the distance a log crossed their path.

Kadi leaned down over Everglade's ear. "What do you say, girl? Think it'll be fun?"

Everglade nickered in response, tossing her head. Kadi lengthened the reins ever so slightly, and sat up a little higher in the saddle. She dug her heels downwards, and grabbed a bit of flowing black mane.

As they got closer, Kadi realized the log was bigger than she had thought. But Everglade continued her charge with passion. Her front feet lifted off; Kadi pulled her head back so as not to be hit. Everglade's rear legs lifted off, shoving them forward.

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion.

Everglade reached the top, powerful muscles strong. Her front legs extended, and she landed jarringly. Kadi grabbed a fistful of mane, trying to stay on. Everglade's hind legs curled under her, and she sprung forward. Kadi lost balance, and threw her stirrup, dropping to the side so she wouldn't get trampled.

"Umph," she grunted.

Everglade ran a few feet and came to a halt, then returned to her mistress. The giant black horse nuzzled Kadi softly.

"I'm fine you big loon," Kadi assured Everglade, fishing in her breeches pockets' for a cube of sugar. She fed it to Everglade, who gobbled it up willingly, then nuzzled her for more. "_You_ did good anyway."

Kadi grabbed two fistfuls of mane and dragged herself up, using Everglade's mane. She hung there for a moment, feeling dizzy.

In the distance she could hear the thundering of hooves. _Oh please don't let anyone see me like this! _she thought desperately, struggling to get onto Everglade's saddle.

She slipped though, her world spinning dangerously.

The cavalcade of hooves stopped; for, from her place on the ground, that was all she could see.

Kadi felt sick with dread. What if they were bandits? But the fear was wiped away when someone on a black horse dismounted, their legs covered in blue silk breeches.

Everglade thumped Kadi with her head, and Kadi gripped her mane, trying to haul herself up. "Steady there," someone--a man--said, gripping her shoulders as she clung to Everglade's mane, her face buried in the mare's neck. "Are you alright?" he asked, sounding genuinely worried.

"Hmm," Kadi managed, gulping down the bile that loomed in her throat. "Fine thanks," she choked out.

Everglade whinnied, stamping a foot; obviously she disagreed that Kadi was alright. She heard the smile in the man's voice when he spoke again. "If you don't mind me saying, your horse doesn't seem to think the same thing."

"Jonathan," Kadi heard someone else say. "We should really get her back to the palace and finish business, the ambassador arrives tonight."

"Yes," the man called Jonathan said, "Just a minute Gary." Then to Kadi, "Will you let me see if you're hurt?" he asked.

Without waiting for an answer, he took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. Kadi gawped.

She hadn't put it together when the other man had called him Jonathan. She had been stupid. Kadi had seen drawings--very good ones, very real--of course, but King Jonathan in the flesh was entirely different indeed.

His face was sculpted as if by a crafter of the world, his eyes glowing the richest shade of sapphire imaginable. His black hair had grown down to ear-length, and was pushed haphazardly back; the result was that it fell into his eyes a lot.

"Your-Your Majesty," Kadi said, bowing since she had no skirt to curtsy with.

King Jonathan's face crinkled with amusement, and he smiled. "You don't have to do that," he told Kadi with another one of his heart-throbbing smiles. "Are you alright?"

Kadi gulped, feeling the nausea come back. "Yes," she croaked.

"What's your name?" His hands were firm on her shoulders as he held her up, his eyes worried.

"Kadi--Kadina of Reliem. This is Everglade," she added. The mare nickered, tossing her head with something--pride probably.

"Are you sure you're alright, Kadi?"

Kadi couldn't hide a smile. No one ever called her by her nickname--except Lorena. "Yes, Your Majesty. I will be anyway."

"Please, if I'm to call you Kadi, then you must call me Jonathan, or Jon." He took her hand and kissed it, his other hand still holding her up.

Kadi felt lightheaded. _Oh you silly girl! _she snapped at herself. _You've gone and got yourself a crush on King Jonathan! This won't do, now will it? You're heart has already been promised to someone, so stop feeling all fuzzy!_

"I have to go," Jonathan said, looking embarrassed. "But I'll have Raoul escort you back to the palace."

Kadi started to complain, but Jonathan put a finger teasingly over her lips, smiling broadly. His eyes flashed with amusement. "Please don't tell me we're going to have Sir Alanna all over again? Now, please, don't argue. You might have a concussion if you fell."

Jonathan squeezed her shoulder and went back to his horse--a big blue roan, though clearly not a warhorse. "Raoul, take her back, make sure she's safe--alright? Then join us in the briefing room. I'm sure Ambassador Kukinwawa will understand."

The man called Raoul--a big burly one with a layering of brown-black hair, smiled at her, moving his horse towards Kadi. "Kadi is it?" he asked with a smile. "Pleased to meet you. Can you still ride?"

Feeling a bit shaken, Kadi flung herself onto Everglade's saddle. She sat there for a minute, willing her world to stop spinning. "Yes," she finally said, gripping the front of her saddle. "Everglade will make sure I'm fine."

Raoul and Kadi set off down the path, the way Kadi had come from, moving around the log instead of over it. "You're from Reliem then?" Raoul asked, making small-talk.

"Yes," Kadi replied, fidgeting in her saddle.

"That's a fairly new fief, isn't it? Are you from Tortall?"

Kadi shook her head, and instantly regretted it. "No, we came from Maren a few years ago--apparently we accidentally avoided the worst of the war." She smiled, beginning to feel easier with the big knight called Raoul. But she was still nervous. "What's your horse's name?"

"This ol' boy?" Raoul asked, patting his chestnut's neck. "Valiant. And true to his name, he saved my life more than once. But he's too old to be a warhorse. I still ride him for the hunt though, and the thrill of riding. How about your precious there. She's a beauty if I ever saw one. Not a white point on her, is there?"

Kadi shook her head, glad to have something the knight admired. She stroked Everglade's neck with one hand. "This is Everglade. I grew up with her. She's the only thing from my home in Maren that remains. I still have my family, of course. And I guess she's part. But everyone changed when we came to Tortall--she didn't."

"Were you there when she was foaled?"

"I was there when she was foaled. I was there while she was reared and cared for. She won't let anyone else ride her--no one ever has. She knows me and my commands. She trusts me."

"It's nice to have a bond like that with a horse," Raoul said, his eyes turning dreamy. "I've never had it, but a few of my friends have. They say a good mount can save you. But a great mount will save you. . . and be your friend. Take Valiant for instance. I called him Valiant the Gallant in his younger years. I wasn't there when he was born though. But I trained him--with some help of course. I wish I had that bond with my new warhorse!" He laughed thickly. "If Rebel was as good at listening as Valiant was, then I'd never have to worry."

Kadi smiled at the big knight--she had a feeling they could be friends. "Horse problems, sir Knight?" she joked.

Raoul grinned. "What are you--the Horse-Lady or something?"

"As a matter of fact," Kadi teased. Then she grew serious. "In my home town everyone said I had a gift with horses. That I was a 'horse whisperer'."

Raoul frowned. "It could be true. In history there were a group of natives who called themselves the Horse Whisperers. They had a bond with horses that not even people with the so called 'Wild Magic' had with them. Horses would listen to the Horse Whisperers' as if they were horses too. They would do anything, and the Horse Whisperers could talk to them. Throughout history it says that breeding with humans caused the Horse Whisperers valuable talent to be seeped out of them. Too much blood without that talent. Until they were thought to all be gone. It's possible you could be one of the last of their race."

"But they were just human," Kadi pointed out. "So it's not really being one of anyone's race. They have an ability, but they were still human--right?"

Raoul grinned. "You catch on quick, Kadi. I'll have to tell the others to watch out for you." Then he laughed.

Kadi frowned. "So they're human?"

Raoul nodded.

"And you think I could be one of these. . . Horse Whisperers?"

Again, he nodded.

"But," Raoul said slowly, "They were supposed to be able to understand horses, talk to them the same way people with Wild Magic--if that really exists; Numair's a bit eccentric--can talk to all animals."

Kadi laughed, though a bit hollowly. "So you're saying that I may be the last 'Horse Whisperer', and all we have to point us there is an eccentric man called Numair?"

"Arram actually," Raoul said with a grin. "The ex Arram Draper to be exact. But mages aren't named Arram Draper--no! He had to go and change it to Numair Salmalin! Anyway, I suppose I should stop talking your ear off about things that probably don't exist. Numair's new anyway, so I have to wonder if he's even right. The King seems to trust him though. . ." Raoul frowned thoughtfully. "Oh, either way, here we are! Think you can go see Duke Baird without me?"

Kadi grinned. "You mean you want me to tell Jonathan that you took me?"

Raoul smiled, and chucked her across the cheek. "Exactly. Think you can manage?"

"I'll be fine," Kadi assured the big knight, a smile dancing across her mouth. "Everglade will take care of me until I hobble off with my. . ."

"Concussion," Raoul supplied helpfully.

"With my concussion to Duke Baird," Kadi finished, smiling. "Yes, I can manage. And I promise not to tell the King anything."

They entered the stable-yard and Kadi and Raoul dismounted. "Alright then, I'm off. Stefan!" Raoul bellowed.

A pudgy, somewhat red-faced man leapt out of the loft and hurried to take Valiant away from Raoul. "Take care, Kadi. And if you ever want to talk. . ." Raoul broke off, smiling. "I think we can be good friends, you're a lot like Sir Alanna."

"So I'm told," Kadi replied dryly.

**Thank you all for reading this! Please review--let me know what you think. And I prefer it if you explain WHY you think that, but it doesn't matter much. -Kat**


	2. Not ANOTHER Sir Alanna!

**Chapter Two**

**Not ANOTHER Sir Alanna!**

_There's Lorena, coming to yell at me_, Kadi thought resignedly, wringing her sopping wet hair over the tub. She threw a robe over her naked body and rubbed down her wet curls with a towel.

Lorena knocked again, this time a little harder. "I'm coming!" Kadi snapped, shaking her sopping curls out of her face and over her shoulder. Kadi did up the ties on the front of her robe, and opened the door.

There stood King Jonathan.

"Oh," Kadi stuttered, ashamed for yelling--and for the fact she was only wearing a robe.

Jonathan smiled his heart throbbing smile. "Bad time?" he asked, his eyes lighting up with amusement. "I can always come back later if this isn't a good time. But we're taking a break right now, and I thought this would be a good time to see how you were."

"Yeah. . . um. . . sure. C'mon in." Kadi stepped aside as Jonathan came in, then closed the door. "I'll. . . uh. . . just get dressed." Kadi pointed helplessly at the privy off of her room.

Jonathan nodded and sat down in one of the armchairs. Kadi dashed into the privy, flinging her robe off and grabbing for a pair of breeches and a shirt.

Then she stopped, and put the shirt and breeches down. _He can wait_, she thought, frowning. _I'm not going to fall in love with him. I already promised my heart to someone. If I'm not out there in two seconds, so what? Maybe he _is _King, but I'm not going to grovel at his feet. Does Sir Alanna grovel at his feet like stupid people? I bet she doesn't. _

Slowly, Kadi picked her shirt and breeches back up, and slowly slid them on. She brushed out her hair and tied it back with a plain white ribbon. Kadi stared at myself in the mirror for a minute, curling her toes under. She chewed on her thumb, eyeing herself for a second longer.

_Why am I doing this? _Kadi wondered. _I promised I wouldn't suck up to Jonathan. I have to marry him, for my family, but I won't let my heart fall to him. When he left, I promised my heart would belong to Him forever. And now I'm crushing on Jonathan! _

Kadi let out a depressed moan, and went back into the main room. Jonathan stood up, a smile and something else dancing in his eyes. "Please, sit," he said, offering the chair next to him.

Kadi bit back an angry retort. This was _her _room. But it was his palace, she had to reason.

Reluctantly, she sat down on the offered chair, leaning back. She waited, wanting him to be the first to speak. As she did so, her eyes drifted over her room. It was the same as the rooms belonging to all the ladies' from the convent. It had a single person bed--suitors brought their ladies to _their _rooms, ladies never had men in their own for bedding--a table with a magic lamp on it, and paper. Kadi had a half finished letter on the table. At the end of her bed was a trunk full of her clothes. It lay open with things spilling onto the floor, mostly the frilly ends of dresses. There was a fireplace built into the outer wall, with a chair on either side of it--this was where she and Jonathan were currently seated. A low slung table sat between them, with the remains of Kadi's lunch on it. Various bits of assorted jewelry had been strewn across the mantle over the fire, and--Kadi was embarrassed to see--so had a breast-band and a pair of underwear.

"How're you feeling?" Jonathan asked at last, bringing Kadi back to reality.

"Fine thanks," she replied in what she hoped was a mild tone.

"Did you talk with Duke Baird?" he went on.

Kadi nodded. "He seems like a very kind man, the Duke."

"Glad to see you're alright. Is your horse well too?"

Kadi closed her eyes, trying not to roll them--that was rude. "Yes, Everglade's fine."

Jonathan drew a deep breath, as if thinking something important over. "Raoul said he had suspicions. . . about. . . about you being a Horse Whisperer. Did he mention that to you too?"

"Yes, he did. He told me their history. Is it really true that it's possible?" Without noticing, Kadi had slid to the front edge of her seat, and was leaning expectantly forward.

Jonathan smiled. "Yes, it's possible. But I'd advise you ask someone who has time to learn things like that. As of late I've had very little time to learn things about mysterious dead people." He smiled again, broadly. "Numair would be a good place to start. He's probably in the palace libraries from dawn until dusk."

"Raoul said he thought Numair was a bit eccentric."

Jonathan laughed, clasping his hands in his lap; leaning back. "Yes, I have to agree. Numair is a bit eccentric. But he's good at what he does all the same. That's why I hired him you know."

"Is he?" Kadi raised an accusing eyebrow. "And you think he'll know about the Horse Whisperers?"

"I wouldn't bet my whole kingdom on it," Jon began. "But I'd bet Corus."

Kadi tried hard to suppress the ensuing laugh, but she couldn't. Jonathan smiled, his face shadowed with another emotion Kadi could place. But the thought of what it might be scared her--scared her a great deal.

"I better go," Jonathan said after a moment, standing up. Kadi rose too, remembering that it was rude to sit in a rulers presence. "I think you should talk to Numair--and if you want, I think you should also ask Sir Alanna for some sword lessons. She wouldn't mind, and I get the feeling you wish you could be a knight too."

"Oh yes!" Kadi breathed, before she could stop herself.

"I thought as much. I'll see you later then."

Kadi showed Jonathan to the door, and then returned to her chair. _What have I done? _she wondered, burying her face in her hands. _I can't fall in love with him. But I recognize the feeling in my chest. It's tight, and it hurts. But I promised! I won't break my promise, no matter how gorgeous Jonathan is. He was too. He loved me. He was my everything. . . but is He even still alive? He was there during the end of the war at Maren. He could be dead for all I know. . . Yet I pledged my heart, and I will keep it there--even if I have to suffer. _

Her mind made up, Kadi got up. She wiped tears from her face; tears she hadn't even known where there.

Kadi pulled on her boots, and left her room behind. It had been her dream ever since she had heard of Sir Alanna, to learn to fight as well. And now she was going to ask Sir Alanna herself to teach her that.

Kadi's heart hammered in her ears as she neared the practice courts. A few squires whooped at her as she walked by--Kadi was a beautiful girl after all. She was skinny, with broad hips and a well formed chest. Her face was curved and smooth, with hazel eyes and her curly black hair. Her legs were long and muscled from her years of riding. And Kadi bore a scar across her right breast; one only her true love would ever see, and only she knew why it was there.

Kadi smiled at the squires, her charming smile, the one that made birds turn to stare at her. And in fact, one of the squires--a skinny one with a thin face--fell over backwards, off the fence, in a dead faint.

Kadi smirked to herself, and continued for the practice courts. She stepped inside, and the smell of sweat and blood filled her nostrils. She gagged for a minute, trying to understand how men found air to breathe among the sweat and blood and dirt and grease. Someone stepped away from the wall near her. "You'll learn eventually," he said, handing her handkerchief. Kadi put this over her nose, breathing deeply. "Sir Gareth of Naxen--the Younger," he introduced himself.

Kadi held out her hand, and to her surprise, Sir Gareth shook it firmly instead of kissing it. "Call me Gary though, or I'll have your head for treason," he warned. "And you're Kadina of Reliem, if I'm not mistaken."

"You're not," Kadi informed him. "I prefer Kadi though."

"Duly noted," Gary replied, letting her hand drop and leading her back to where he was standing. He introduced her to a few knights along the wall, but Kadi forgot their names before she even shook their hands. "So, do we have another Sir Alanna, as my King thinks we may?"

Kadi smiled, glad that Jonathan didn't think her just another lady. "That is for Sir Alanna to tell me sir," Kadi replied. She couldn't get her tongue around calling him Gary. It seemed so. . . unsirly.

"Gary," he growled kindly. "Well, if you want to learn to fight, watch this--it's our best fight in the palace." He gestured towards the two on the court.

One was a short and stocky redhead, bearing a sword with a bluish blade. The other was a tall man with graying hair, his sword a thick, two-handed weapon. "Is that--?" Kadi asked.

Beside her, Gary nodded, smiling. "Sir Alanna of Trebond and Olau, and Duke Gareth of Naxen the older--my father."

Sir Alanna blocked a downward sweep from Duke Gareth, and cut up and under. Duke Gareth blocked it, stumbling backwards. Sir Alanna drove downwards, snaked around his sword, and sent it flying. She pushed the tip of her sword against the Duke's throat. "I win," she croaked, wiping sweat from her face. She sheathed her sword, gasping for breath.

Duke Gareth rose, breathing just as heavily. "That you do, Alanna. And to think we ever doubted you, just for being a girl." He fetched his sword and sheathed it, then shook Sir Alanna's hand. "Well fought. Now I'd better get back to work."

"Any of you scallywag's got the nerve to fight me?" Sir Alanna challenged, waving her sword at the assembled knights. "Just stand and watch the Duke get flattened, but won't fight me yourself? Oh, c'mon Gary, fight me. C'mon, you sucker! Or are you too afraid that everyone'll think you a coward?"

She advanced on Gary, her eyes looking up at him, but they wielded more power than Gary's downward glance on the stocky Lady Knight. "I don't believe we've met," she said, stopping in front of Gary. "Who's your friend."

"Oh," Gary said. "Alanna, may I present Lady Kadina of Reliem. She prefers Kadi."

"That's nice," Sir Alanna said dismissively. "But what is she doing in the practice courts?"

Gary grinned. "She wishes to learn the ways of a sword, Alanna. With you as her teacher. And, if you think not to, you should see her ride. Better than you could do any day of the week, month, or year."

Sir Alanna sheathed her sword, and looked Kadi up and down. Kadi managed to hide a smile at the fact the knight was a good inch or two shorter than she. "Can you ride as well as Gary claims?"

"Better," Gary said before Kadi could say anything.

Kadi felt like pointing out Gary had never actually _seen _her ride. But she didn't. Instead she said, "I think."

Sir Alanna smiled darkly. "I'll teach you a sword, if you teach me to ride the way you can. I can ride--yes. But if you can ride better. I'll teach you. You teach me. That's the offer. Deal?" Sir Alanna held out her hand.

"Deal." Kadi took it, and found that the knight had a callused palm. "You won't regret it, Sir Alanna."

"Alanna," the knight barked, grabbing Gary's arm and pulling him out onto the practice courts. "Your first lesson, Kadi. Watch everything I do while fighting. Understood?"

"Oh, yes!" Kadi exclaimed, nodding.

Alanna pulled out her sword, and jabbed at Gary with it. "Get ready, you lazy oaf!" she taunted. With a sigh, and--Kadi was pretty sure--a bit of eye-rolling, Gary unsheathed his sword. "Alright. Watch and learn, Kadi."

The fight was a quick one. Alanna danced around on her feet, bouncing from attack to attack; her offense always up. Gary parried for his life's worth, but the Lady Knight was faster than he, and broke in. Alanna pushed the tip of her sword against Gary's throat. "On your knees," she demanded, smiling broadly.

"Do I--"

"_Yes_!" Alanna, prodded him with the toe of her boot, and Gary got down on his knees, his hands over his head. "That's better. Alright, get up." She sheathed her sword and made her way over to Kadi. "See that? The first lesson. Have enough endurance to be faster, stronger, and braver than your opponent. Not easy. But incredibly important.

"Now, we go for a ride, get to know each other, and you teach me a few good ol' tricks. Got it?"

Kadi nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Alanna."

_Mithros, they're touchy about names around here! _Kadi thought.

"D'you mind if I invite Thayet too? She knows some interesting riding of her own. K'miri trick riding."

"Hey!" Gary had joined the two again, and was cradling a wounded hand. "That's not fair! I wanted someone to feel sorry for me when I returned to my rooms, all beaten and bedraggled."

"Ha!" Alanna chuckled. "Thayet, feeling sorry for _you_?"

"She told you, didn't she?" Gary asked, making a face.

"Told me?" Alanna asked incredulously. "Told me that she tortured you to within an inch of your life? That you were this--" she held her thumb and first finger barely a millimeter apart, "--close to taking her to bed. And then she left you? Yeah, of course she told me. What in Mithros's name did you expect?"

Gary hung his head, shaking it from side to side. Then he looked Kadi straight in the eye, and said, "You know, Kadi. You get within an inch of doing what you want. And when you don't get it, you ladies all go and gossip to all your little friends. And then the whole _palace _knows that you were this close to sleeping with someone--and the knights all laugh!"

Alanna rolled her violet eyes. "Gary's such a child," she informed Kadi, thumping the bigger knight on the back. "You'll get used to it though. So, how about that riding lesson? And a bit of talking. You can get to know me; me to know you." Alanna took Kadi by the arm and steered her out of the practice courts. "So, I hear you're from Maren."

Kadi, who was able to breathe now, took Gary's handkerchief away from her face, and put it in her pocket. Then she said, "Yes, I'm from Maren. We came about two years back."

"Pretty quick to get a fief. You have some alliance of sorts with the King's family?"

"As a matter of fact. My father, Lord Hason, came from Tortall originally. He says his father knew King Roald pretty well."

"Did you have any lover in Maren?" Alanna asked.

Kadi could almost feel the color drain from her face. She looked away, pretending to admire a rose. "N-no."

Kadi felt Alanna's eyes on the back of her head. "Kadi," she said warningly. "Did you ever have a lover in Maren? I don't mind if you don't want to answer, but don't lie."

_Of course you didn't have a lover in Maren, you silly girl! _Kadi yelled at herself. _You were barely fourteen! What use had you with a lover? All lovers' want is to take your virginity from you. To make you "unpure"._

"No." Kadi's voice was stronger, and she turned to meet Alanna's eyes, feeling defiant. "No, I had no lover in Maren. Though sometimes I wish I did. . ."

**Please R-E-V-I-E-W!!! Thanks for read-y-ing! Hope you like it! Next chapter there will be some glimpses of Kadi's mysterious "Him".**


	3. Arany and Astrik

**Chapter Three**

**Arany and Astrik**

January 4th:

_There he sat, his muscles working steadily. His brown hair fell into one of those lovely ice blue eyes. He shook his head, not daring to break his concentration as he worked the metal. He hit it with a hammer and it slowly fell into position. Sparks flew from it, going in every direction. _

_I watched with my mouth slightly open. He was gorgeous, sitting there, playing with fire. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, and his breeches fit snugly over his well muscled legs. I'm in love, and I can't say anything. He knows it. But he's with someone. I can't have him because he's too good to have two girls. _

_All the other men in the city would kill to have two girls after them. But not him. He's too perfect. _

_He got up, and doused the red-hot metal in a bucket of water. He eyed his work for a minute afterwards, then set it down, making sure it fit right into the hilt. Then he hung it on the wall, beside all the others. Then he turned to face me. A smile lit up his face as he walked over. His eyes sparkle like icicles when he smiles. And I know it's a special "me" smile. I've seen the girl who's his lover. He never gives her that smile. I've never seen him give _anyone _that smile. And I should know. I spend all my free time around here._

"_Kadi, Kadi, Kadi." His voice was deep and melodic. I wanted to sink into it. Especially when he brushed my hair out of my face. "How did I not know you were here? Watching me like a hawk, as usual."_

_I wanted to make a smart remark, to prove to him that I'm not a tongue-tied girl. That I'm better than his lover. But I couldn't think of anything to say._

_He sighed, and sat down on a stool. "You'd best. . ." But he broke off. He never doesn't know what to say. He always has something to say. He always says what he thinks. So he couldn't possibly have been thinking the same thing he was saying. "C'mere," he said at last._

_I walked up to him, the heat of the fire burning against my face as it beat behind his back. He smiled again. It stopped my heart to see his face like that. I couldn't breathe when he smiled like that. Then he grabbed my hands, and pulled me down onto his lap. Before I knew what was happening, he was kissing me. His arms were around me, holding me there. Even sitting on his lap, he was still tall enough to kiss me thoroughly._

_In seconds he was holding me in his arms, still kissing me. Yet somehow--how I think I shall never know--he had managed to work all of my clothes off, without once stopping his kisses._

_He kissed my neck, his hand resting on my chest. I touched the muscles in his chest, and felt them tense under my fingers. He stopped kissing me for just a minute. He met my gaze, his eyes filled with desire. "Oh, Kadi. I wish I'd told you sooner. You don't know how much I love you. And now you're going to leave--and I love you."_

_My eyes filled with tears, but I fought them back. I buried my face in his shoulder, and cried then. They came, no matter how hard I fought. And he put his head on top of mine, and he cried too. And then. . . then we made love._

_Oh. . . I miss you. I miss you my love. Not a day have we been gone from Maren, and already I miss your sweet kisses, and even sweeter love-making. I love you, my love. I love you._

_Astrik. . ._

Kadi stared at the page, streaked with long dried tears, the words blotted with them. Writing paint ran around the page, drawing the letters out strangely. Kadi ran a finger over the dried page of her diary, reading the last word over and over again. Her love. Her Astrik. And then she cried.

While Kadi cried someone knocked on her door. She didn't notice for long minutes, she was crying so hard. Her throat hurt, too, when she finally got up and opened the door. And there was Jonathan Standing there. "Kadi, what's wrong?" he asked.

Kadi bit down on her lip, red-hot tears streaming slowly from her eyes. "N-nothing," she choked out through her hot and swollen throat. "I. . . nothing." And then Kadi burst into tears again.

"It's okay," Jonathan said softly, closing the door with his foot as he put his arms around Kadi. Kadi buried her face in the folds of his tunic and cried. She felt like a child, sniffling in the King's clothes, but she couldn't help it. She missed him so much! "Shh." Jonathan rocked her slowly back and forth, his cheek against the top of her head.

Kadi sniffed and wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand. She pulled back, and Jonathan let her go. "S-sorry," she sniffed. "I shouldn't have lost it like that. I'm s-sorry."

Jonathan shook his head, smiling sadly. "Don't be sorry," he told her. There isn't a reason on earth for you to be sorry. You're upset about something--it's absolutely allowed. Understand? Now, care to tell me what's wrong?"

Kadi sniffed again. She had never told anyone--_anyone_--about Astrik. Was it time to let go? To tell someone, and move on? Was Jonathan that someone?

She made up her mind then, and there. And she knew she would have to stick to it. Once she had spilled, then she couldn't take it back--_ever_. Kadi picked up her journal and sat down. She stared at her lap and listened as Jonathan took his seat. "I. . . I was reading my journal. In Maren. . . There was someone I loved in Maren. His name was Astrik. I loved him. . . But he. . . He had someone, and didn't want me. I _loved _him!" she wailed, tears falling onto her lap.

"You miss him?" he said after a moment's silence.

Kadi stared at her lap, at the journal in her lap. "With all my heart," she whispered weakly. "I. . . I pledged my heart to him you know. It was a K'miri ceremony."

Jonathan nodded. "I think Buri mentioned something like that once. Listen to me Kadi. You've got to let go. I know you love him. I love someone I can't ever have too. But it's likely you'll never see him again. There's no point in pining over someone you can't have."

Kadi found it strange that Jonathan could possibly love someone he could never have. He was _King_! How could there be anyone he couldn't have? She chanced the question, risky as it was. "Who do you love?" Kadi whispered, still staring at her lap.

"I. . . I love Alanna."

Kadi looked up into his eyes. They were cloudy, but not with tears. Kadi read the lie written on his face. "You love Alanna?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Jonathan nodded. But his eyes looked pained. Kadi bit back a smirk. He was lying, and she knew it. Now she would have to find out who he loved--just for the fun of it.

"Listen," Jonathan began.

"What?"

"I have some free time. I was wondering if you'd be interested in teaching me a little of that great riding you can do."

"Sure, let's go." Kadi was glad she would have something to do. To take her mind of Astrik for a while.

They made their way to the stable, and Kadi fetched her tack from the trunk the hostler, Stefan, had given her. Kadi rubbed Everglade's black coat to shine, and put her bridle on. She led the horse out of her stall, still feeling a bubble of happiness that wouldn't burst in her chest.

Everglade stomped and gave her mistress a look that said, "I don't _want _to go."

"That's nice," Kadi replied, stroking the mare's muzzle. "I don't want to try the palace horses. You're good enough for me, thank you very much."

Everglade glared, but didn't say anything else.

Jonathan led a skewbald stallion out of the stall down the isle, and led him over. He bore feather on his legs, the mark of a draft horse. A long white patch went across his right eye, which was blue instead of the dark brown that looked black. "Kadi, I would like you to meet Aranho. It's--"

"I know," Kadi replied. "It's in Maren. Aranho--peerless."

Jonathan smiled. "That's right. I forgot you're from Maren."

"It's K'mir, actually," Kadi went on, feeling proud that she knew something different. "There's a saying too. Saphlial micanna est tulio ne Aranho. When the Peerless one comes, all will flee."

"Riding bareback?" Jonathan asked with a smile.

"Why not?" Kadi replied, touching Aranho's muzzle. The stallion nickered a greeting. "Hello," Kadi said, staring into Aranho's big, black eyes.

"What?"

"I said 'hello'."

"No, you didn't."

Kadi frowned at Jonathan. "I didn't?"

He shook his head. "You said something in some other language. And what's more it's some other language I don't know. Can you do that again?"

"Do _what _again?" Kadi felt irritated now.

"Speak in that language again."

"I didn't speak in any language," Kadi insisted.

"Yes, you definitely did," Jonathan told her, crossing his arms over his blue tunic. "And I don't know what language it was."

Kadi opened her mouth to argue. "Just say 'hello' again! If that's what you said," Jonathan said crossly.

"Fine," Kadi grumbled. "Hello."

"That was Common," Jonathan said, shaking his head. "Maybe. . . You were touching Aranho when you said it. Try that."

Kadi felt silly as she reached out and touched Aranho's muzzle. But she did so. Stroking it gently she said, "Hello, Aranho."

"There you go!" Jonathan said triumphantly. "That wasn't in any language I've ever heard."

"It wasn't in Common?" Kadi asked, confused.

He shook his head.

"Or Maren, or K'mir?"

He shook his head, again.

Everglade nickered. Kadi turned to face her mare. "Say that again," she whispered. Everglade snorted and tossed her head. Kadi swallowed. "Did you hear that?" she asked Jonathan.

"Hear _what_?" he replied.

"I could have sworn someone just told me that I was speaking in the language of the Horse Whisperers. And the sound came from Everglade."

Everglade neighed, stomping her hoof insistently. Aranho tossed his head, nickering. "Can. . . are they saying something?" Jonathan asked, threading Aranho's reins through his fingers. He turned to the big stallion. "I have half a mind to hit you," he told him sternly. "I would if there wasn't a chance you were talking to Kadi. Obedience is the key to warhorse."

"Wait!" Kadi grabbed Jonathan's arm as it moved to slap Aranho on the shoulder to settle him. "Let me try." Kadi put her hand between Aranho's flaring nostrils. "Quit," she whispered. Something flooded her. Her arm felt very heavy, and then the weight lifted and Aranho settled down.

"By the Black God, Mithros, Goddess. . . You really are a Horse Whisperer, Kadi. If they really exist. Forget riding. We're going to talk to Numair."

"But--"

"Now." Jonathan's voice was deadly, his hand on Kadi's arm. A shiver passed down her spine. Her arm tingled. She shook the feeling away. That wasn't allowed. Silently, she led Everglade back to her stall, and untacked her.

"Don't you go being all joyous or anything," Kadi said sternly. Everglade nickered that she would most definitely be all joyous.

Grumbling Kadi waited in the isle, listening to the horses around her. The blue roan that she had seen Jonathan ride in the Royal Forest introduced himself as Elrigath, meaning friend in K'mir. A buckskin mare in the stall next to Elrigath said she was called Tierinel, meaning forever in K'mir, and was Burriram Tourakom's horse. On the other side of Elrigath a palomino mare said she was called Moonlight, and was Alanna's horse. All around Kadi the horses said their hellos, and shared bits of stable gossip. Kadi was particularly fond of sharp tongued Tierinel and Thayet's horse, a chestnut with a blaze and a stocking on her left front leg called Ralnsin, meaning gorgeous in K'mir.

"Kadi? Kadi? Helloooo?" Kadi was jerked back to reality as Jonathan shook her by the shoulders. "What's up?" he asked, meeting her eyes.

Kadi shook her head. The gentle throb of a headache on it's way pounded by her temple. "The horses," she whispered in awe. "They have voices. They talk to me."

Jonathan frowned. "Do they?" he asked. "I have to wonder if we should ever doubt Numair again. He's a genius to say the least. What did they say?" He took her by the arm as he talked and steered her out of the stable and through a courtyard to the palace. Then they turned down a corridor and headed for the library.

"The blue roan is your horse. He says his name is Elrigath. The little buckskin is Tierinel, Buri's horse. The chestnut with the blaze and stocking is Ralnsin, Thayet's horse. The palomino is Moonlight, Alanna's horse. And so is the bay charger she calls Chocolate. She rode him on our ride last week. And there's a group of horses that the pages who don't a horse ride."

Jonathan rubbed his temples. "And I thought work ended when I left the briefing room. . . Here we are." He motioned for her to go through the door first.

Kadi entered a large room with shelves stacked in every free area; so close that you could barely make your way between the shelves. Books and scrolls overflowed from them, and chairs were stuffed in all the free corners.

"This way." Jonathan led them along the wall and into a back room through a pair of heavy green curtains.

Kadi stepped inside after him, and blinked in the darkness. The only light in the room came from a candle placed atop a table. Stacks of books were all around it, and someone was craned over one, his face lit up by the candle. The curtains to the only window were pulled tight shut, and there were covers across all the bookshelves that needed keys to open.

Jonathan motioned for Kadi to follow, and she did. Jonathan stepped around some books on the floor, and tapped the man on the shoulder. He started, leaping to his feet.

"Numair, it's alright," Jonathan said quietly.

The man breathed a sigh of relief. Kadi studied him as he and Jonathan talked quietly for a moment. He was a dark skinned man with black hair tied back in a short horse-tail. He was at least six foot five, a good five-or-so inches taller than Jon. He had dark brown eyes, and was wearing a white shirt and green breeches.

Jonathan said something, and led Numair over. "Numair Salmalin, this is Kadina of Reliem, who goes by Kadi. We think she may be a Horse Whisperer."

Numair peered down at Kadi. "The last of the Horse Whisperers?" he asked, his voice a mere croak.

_Wonder how long he's been reading, and eating all this dust_, Kadi wondered.

"What makes you think that?"

"It as Raoul's assumption at first. And now I think I've proof enough for me. We went to the stables today, and she started talking in some foreign tongue to Aranho."

"You sure it's not something from north of Scanra perhaps?" Numair asked, fingering his horse-tail.

"No, I'm not sure. But she said she didn't even know she wasn't speaking Common. And when she told Aranho to quit it, he stopped."

Numair nodded. "What do you think, Kadi?" he asked. "Do you think you're a Horse Whisperer."

"I think I'm not sure, sir," Kadi said, deciding to play it safe. "I think that you're the one with the experience. And I know nothing about magic. Everyone in my family's Giftless. It's been that way for generations."

"Can anyone in your family talk to horses?" Numair asked.

Kadi shook her head. "Not that I'm aware, sir."

"Please, just Numair's fine."

Kadi nodded.

"Is she. . . Is it possible?" Jonathan asked.

Numair nodded. "Yes. It's very possible. I don't know if she's the last though. Let's hope she's not, because if she is. . ." He shuddered.

"What?" Jonathan asked.

"There is a prophecy," Numair said. "A prophecy that the last of the Horse Whisperers must bring them back, or die trying."

"And how does one do that if they're the last?"

"Magic. Magic, and a horse."

"I don't understand."

"I don't know," Numair said, sounding exasperated. "It's just a prophecy Your Majesty. They don't give exact details. What I know is that it is said it takes magic, and a horse with whom they have an inseparable bond. But. . . For all we know she's not the last! So it's no big deal."

"How does she have this ability if her family doesn't?"

"It can be dormant. It's possible that with so much blood that doesn't contain the gene, it's been all but wiped out. It's possible that it was dormant in her family line, and activated in her. By the Gods will, or by nature, I'm not sure. But that's more than likely what happened. There is. . . There is one thing though, that doesn't fit."

"What one thing?" Jonathan asked, running his fingers through his hair.

"It says in the prophecy that. . . That the child will be the _son _of Arany and Astrik."

Kadi's heart thumped in her chest at the mention of the name Arany. She must have turned pale, because Jonathan looked at her worriedly. "Are you alright, Kadi?" he asked, resting a hand on her arm.

A shiver of pleasure crept down Kadi's spine.

_NO! _she screamed at herself. _I do not love him. I cannot. I will not! _

"I'm fine," she choked out. "So, I'm not the last of the Horse Whisperers. That's nice to know." She smiled at the two men. But it was strained.

"There's a chance of course. Prophecy's can be a little flaky." Numair said.

"I have to go now," Kadi said. She had to go. Really. Before she burst into tears and spilled everything. It was her secret--to bear alone. She wouldn't burden them with it. She bowed to Jonathan--she was still wearing a shirt and breeches--and shook Numair's hand. Then she left quickly.

**Ooh! R-E-V-I-E-W please!!! So. . . Why is she nervous at the mention of the name Arany? And what is her secret to bear alone? She loves Astrik. She pledged her heart to him. But Jonathan doesn't know everything about him. And. . . Dunh, dunh, dunh! Is she falling for Jonathan? Is that what it all means?**


	4. In The Forest

**A/N: **The poem included in this chapter in Kadi's journal was written by Erin, a.k.a. tortallanrider. You're awesome! Many congrats, and thanks for letting me use it!

**Chapter Four**

**In The Forest**

Kadi brushed Everglade with a ferocity. She was avoiding Jonathan, and he knew it. What's more she wouldn't admit to herself that she was. She hadn't talked to Lorena in weeks--not since the riding incident. She felt upset and alone, with nowhere to go. No one to talk to.

_That's not true. _The soothing voice came from Everglade's direction. The mare munched lazily on a pile of hay on the floor, as Kadi sat in the corner, writing in her journal.

"I'm sorry, Glade. I know I always have you to talk to."

Kadi turned back to her journal, rereading the entry she had just put in.

_December 19th _

_I shudder at the thought. They're close to the truth, the one that no one can ever know. The mention of the name Arany makes me feel sick. It has ever since. . . Well, I won't think about that now. It's just that the mention of the name Arany makes me feel ill. And what's more. . . It's that she is in the prophecy--alongside Astrik. Arany is dead, it's as simple as that. She has been, ever since I was a little girl. _

_Oh, I can't believe this. . . I'm. . . I think I'm actually falling in love. That's why I wrote this poem. Whenever I think I'm falling for him. . . I'd think about it. That was the plan. But. . . It didn't fit. This poem's the truth, no matter how painful._

_I didn't want to  
I truly didn't  
I didn't-  
I don't  
Love you?  
I can't  
I won't  
There's no way I will,  
My heart belongs to someone else,  
And I apologize if it hurts,  
But I can't love you,  
I won't allow myself to  
Beyond all of the can'ts and won'ts,  
You've found your way into my heart,  
And I don't want you to leave._

Kadi slammed her journal shut, feeling angry. How could she let herself write that? Who cared if it was the truth? She _couldn't _love Jonathan. _COULDN'T_! She had pledged her heart to Astrik. Maybe it hurt. That was _it_! Did it matter if she suffered? But the problem was, she was supposed to marry him. She couldn't now. She had agreed to marry him, but only because she knew she would never love him. She couldn't have him if she was in love with him. It was breaking her pledge.

"I can't marry him now, Everglade," Kadi whispered, feeling angry.

_Of course you can_, the mare replied. _You can do anything you want. Anything! If it means marrying him, then so be it. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? If it's love let it be love._

"Oh, Everglade! You don't understand. I don't want to love him! It's not fair to my pledge to Astrik."

"Don't want to love who?"

Kadi leapt to her feet, spilling her journal onto the hay covered floor. She walked over to the door, and glared at Jonathan. He was leaning against the door of Everglade's stall, eyeing the mare.

"That's none of your business!" Kadi snapped, glaring at him. "And you shouldn't sneak up on people like that. It's rude."

Jonathan smiled. "Now, I had a question for you. You said earlier that you came from Maren. And then you said something about a K'miri ceremony?"

Kadi stuck her tongue out. "If you must know my mother is a K'mir. She was sold, illegally, to slavery. My father bought her to do his tasks. Then they fell in love. We lived in Sarain until three years ago. We lived in Maren for a year, and then came here. To get away from the war. It killed two of my brothers. Another can't walk anymore." Kadi felt a bitter taste building on her tongue at the mention of her father. She _hated _her father. "Happy?"

Jonathan stared blankly at her for a second, as if to say "do you _think _I'm happy?" then looked away. "No," he said finally. "I don't like not knowing things. I'm _used _to knowing things. But there's so much I don't understand about _you _Kadi."

"Get over it," Kadi growled. She scooped up her journal and shoved the door of Everglade's stall open. "See you later, Everglade," Kadi called, walking down the isle and into the empty, stone courtyard.

Jonathan caught up with her, his hands in his breeches pockets. "I'm sorry, Kadi. But I really wish you'd let me help."

Kadi stopped walking so suddenly that Jonathan nearly fell on top of her. "Help me?" she demanded, her voice icy. "Help me with _what_?"

Jonathan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Listen, Kadi. You told me that your love in Maren was called Astrik. I saw your face when Numair said it was the son of Arany and Astrik who fits into the prophecy. Who is Arany?"

Kadi blinked back the hotness in the corners of her eyes. "I. . . I don't want to talk about Arany. She's. . . She's dead. She has been since I was little." Kadi turned to stomp off, but Jonathan grabbed her arm.

The hairs on Kadi's arm stood up. Her heart rose into her throat. Her stomach twisted into a million knots. The dress around her ankles fluttered in the cool winter breeze.

"You're not telling me everything," Jonathan whispered, his grip firm on her arm. He took a step closer.

Kadi swallowed. His face was inches from her. She could barely breathe. The knot in her stomach made it ache. Her throat was clogged with her pounding heart. Her legs felt weak. She wanted to sit down--just for a moment.

"_Who _is Arany?" Jonathan asked. His warm breath tickled Kadi's cold face. She looked down. His hand stayed on her arm, and his other came up under her chin. He tilted it up, to meet his eyes.

Kadi stared into the deep blue pools of light that were Jonathan's eyes. He looked back into her eyes.

She swallowed. "Arany. . . she's. . . dead." It was all Kadi could manage through her pounding heart.

_Just kiss me! _part of her mind screamed.

_Don't you dare! _the other part shouted back.

Jonathan stared into Kadi's hazel eyes, transfixed. Kadi stared back, trying to glower. She couldn't though. His gaze softened her anger--melted it. She wanted to scream with rage. To hit something. But she couldn't. Not while his hand was on her arm. The other was still under her chin.

Kadi bit the inside of her cheek. She wouldn't be the first to break the silence.

Jonathan leaned in, tilting his head to the side. Without even meaning to, Kadi leaned in too, her head tilting to the other side. Their lips met, soft and sweet. Jonathan's lips were soft and smooth against hers. The knot in Kadi's stomach tightened, and then released. She didn't need to breathe now.

Jonathan put his hand on the small of her back, his other still under her chin. Kadi hung there. Not sure whether she was still alive, or if she had gone to the Peaceful Realms.

"Jon? Jon? Hey, Kingy? Where'd you go?" The voice was Alanna's. The thought faintly made it into Kadi's mind.

Softly, Jonathan pulled back, his eyes locked on Kadi's. He gave her a wry smile, and shrugged. Alanna came into the courtyard, running.

"What's up, Alanna?" Jonathan asked, shoving his hands into his breeches pockets. Kadi stood there, somewhere between shock and amazement.

Alanna stopped running, barely even panting. "The Watch spotted bandits in the Royal Forest. They're looting some poor soul in there. Should I take the Own? Or some rogues?"

Jonathan didn't even bite his lip and think. "You go. Take however many you want. But if you take a whole company of the Own. . . It'll get too confusing. Take whoever. And hurry."

Alanna nodded. "Kadi? You think you're ready for your first fight?"

"M-Me?" Kadi stuttered, pulled from shock. "I. . . Do you think I'm ready, Lioness?"

Alanna grinned. "Only one way to tell. I won't let you die. But if you kill anyone--" she shrugged-- "That's your problem. Go change. Tell the blacksmith I sent you for weapons. I'll get the others." Alanna turned and ran off.

Kadi turned to do her job, but Jonathan grabbed her arm. "Be careful?" It was a question, not a statement.

Kadi was about to sharpen her tongue on him, when she remembered the kiss. Her lips tingled with pleasure still, and her stomach was in knots. "Alright," she whispered hoarsely.

Jonathan smiled. Kadi turned, and started to walk away. That was when Jonathan slapped her bottom.

Kadi spun around, her anger flaring. Jonathan smirked, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "I cannot believe you just did that!" Kadi screamed.

"It's for good luck." Without another word Jonathan turned and walked off, whistling, hands in pockets.

Still angry, Kadi went back to her rooms. There she dressed hurriedly in a white shirt and gray breeches. She put on a worn pair of black boots Alanna had given her. Then she tied her hair back, braiding it as she hurried to the blacksmiths' wing.

When she entered all the men's heads turned. Gary smiled, and came over. "What're you doing here, Kadi?" he asked. The other knights continued to stare. Gary threw his arm around Kadi's shoulders, and steered her up to the counter. "What is it?" he whispered, leaning in close.

"Alanna says there's a bandit looting in the Royal Forest." Kadi eyed the others, keeping her voice down. "She sent me to get weapons. She's getting some others to fight."

"How come she didn't ask me?" Gary demanded, sounding childish.

Kadi shrugged, removing his arm from around her shoulders. "I don't know. You'd have to ask her." She turned to the smith. "Excuse me?"

The smith turned to her. His blond hair was all but chopped off, nothing like Astrik's. He was a pudgy man, his apron covered in soot. "What d'ye want, lassie?"

Kadi felt nervous. She had never liked talking to men who called her "lass" or "lassie". For some reason it made her uncomfortable. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Gary put his hand on her shoulder, and looked at the smith. "Sir William, this is Kadina of Reliem. Sir Alanna has sent her to get weapons for herself. If you'll please comply. She'll require a sword, and eight daggers."

Sir William _hmph_edbut obeyed. He fetched a silver sword, a scabbard for it, and eight daggers in holders. He handed them to Gary, who took them, then steered Kadi out with his other arm.

When they were in the hall, Gary unwound a thin piece of leather from his armful. "Put this around your waist, sort of loose," he instructed. Kadi took it, and found that it was very flexible, and easy to tie. She did it up around her waist. Next Gary handed her the sword, now firmly secured in a black scabbard. "This goes on your left side. You tie these here." He pointed to the scabbard's thong, and showed her how to tie it around the weapon's belt. "These four go here." Gary took four of the daggers with similar thongs to the scabbard's, and showed her how to tie those on her weapons belt too. "And these go in your pants and arms legs." He pulled back the sleeve of his shirt, and revealed a dagger securely clipped in a holder around his forearm. He showed Kadi how to do up the arm ones, and let her roll up her breeches to slip the leg knives on. "Let's go find Alanna." Gary took Kadi's arm, and led her off at a jog.

They found Alanna and some others in a courtyard, where all the horses were saddled. Everglade awaited Kadi, next to a large bay charger with white feathers on his legs.

"So you weren't planning on not including me!" Gary exclaimed, mounting the bay charger.

Alanna shook her head. "Nope. I just figured that you were still at the blacksmith's when I couldn't find you. So I figured you'd come with Kadi. Oh, Kadi, you'll want this too." She held up a dagger in a scabbard with thong ties going up and right, up and left, down and right, and down and left.

"What's _that_?" Kadi asked, taking it from Alanna and eyeing it curiously.

"It's a K'mir invention." The voice belonged to a heavily built, short woman with close cropped black hair. She bore two swords, and who knew how many daggers. "I'm Burriram Tourakom. You can just call me Buri though." She held out a hand, and Kadi shook it, feeling the rough calluses all over it. "It's a woman thing. See, it fits between your breasts. The enemy rarely finds it." Buri pulled her shirt out of her breeches, and lifted it over her head. She had her own dagger wedged between her breast, hidden mostly under her breastband.

Gary whistled. Raoul blushed crimson and looked away. A lean built woman with full red lips and a well-formed body, slapped Gary on the shoulder, moving her little horse next to his full-sized charger.

She kicked her horse forward, and Kadi recognized Ralnsin. The little mare with a stocking and a blaze. "I'm Thayet." She offered a hand to Kadi, as Buri pulled her shirt back down and tucked it in.

Kadi slipped the dagger under her breastband, carefully keeping her back to Gary and Raoul. She held her hair out of the way as Alanna tied it up in back.

Shod hooves clomped around the corner. Kadi looked up. Her face turned beet red. She looked away, closing her eyes.

_Oh, Mithros. That is cruel. Make it go away! _

Kadi glanced up through her eyelashes. She saw Jonathan smirking from atop Aranho. The skewbald stallion nickered. At least, that's what everyone else heard. To Kadi it was, _It's alright. You don't have to worry. He has a sense of humor. Of that I am sure. _

"All done." Kadi dropped her hair, and pulled her shirt down hurriedly, tucking it in. Alanna swung herself up onto Chocolate, and Kadi climbed onto Everglade, still looking anywhere but Jonathan.

"Let's go," Alanna said. She swung Chocolate around, and the other's fell into line behind her. Jonathan directly behind her, followed by Buri and her little mare, Tierinel. Behind them was Thayet and Ralnsin. And then Gary and the bay charger. And Raoul and who Kadi presumed was Rebel. Kadi brought up the rear. She edged up to Raoul, and looked over his horse.

"Is that Rebel?" she asked, reaching out to stroke the horse's neck.

Raoul nodded. "You're a bit red in the face," he teased, poking her in the side.

"Ha, ha, ha," Kadi said, though without humor.

Rebel was a big sorrel, his flaxen mane and tail almost white. "He's gorgeous," Kadi breathed.

"Yeah, but he's a menace. Maybe he's gorgeous. But I'd bet twenty gold nobles there's no way in the Realms of Chaos you could ride him."

"You forget, I'm a Horse Whisperer. I'd take your bet. Because I'm sure I _could _ride him. So how's that?"

Raoul shook his head. Up ahead Alanna raised her fist in the air. The others stopped, and Kadi followed suit. Somewhere she remembered bits of hand signals Alanna had tried to teach her.

Alanna got off of Chocolate, who stayed put. After a minute, she climbed back on. "Blood," she called back. "The trail's still hot."

The group set off again, Kadi pulling back behind Raoul. Someone yelled up ahead. "Get them!" Alanna roared. Kadi heard the sound of metal clearing the scabbard, and those in front rode the first bandit down. The others fled through a passage that was too small for the chargers to get through. Alanna, Jonathan, Gary, and Raoul dismounted, and took after them on foot.

Thayet and Buri were climbing off when Kadi saw something. "ARCHERS!" She yelled, pointing the trees. Two crossbow bolts rained down on them, as Everglade leaped out of the way.

Buri and Thayet turned on them. Buri pulled a crossbow from behind her saddle, taking the reins in her mouth. Tierinel moved from Buri's foot, and seat, commands as her rider shot the first one down. The other leapt out of a tree, and took off running.

Kadi steeled her resolve. She turned Everglade around. "We can do this," she whispered. Everglade faced the log, bigger than the one they had jumped last time. "For Tortall!" Kadi yelled.

She kicked Everglade forward. Everglade launched herself forward, jumping into a canter. Kadi rose out of the saddle. Everglade took off from the ground. Kadi clutched at Everglade's mane, careful to keep her heels down. They soared off the other side, and Everglade took off running. She galloped forward, gaining on the bandit.

Kadi pulled her sword free of its scabbard, and bore down on him. "For Tortall and the King!" she bellowed. Everglade moved forward, ever faster. She was gaining quickly on the bandit.

Kadi's focus was on the bandit they were running down. She aimed, ready to stab him to drop, but not to kill. Then she flew out of the saddle.

Kadi landed with a thump against a tree trunk."Oh, ow," Kadi whispered, sitting up. She blinked. A bandit with a pole was advancing on her, wielding it like a staff.

Slowly, Kadi crawled to her feet, her fist sweaty on the hilt of her sword. The man struck high. Kadi pulled her sword up, and blocked it clumsily. She moved her feet, staying upright. He swung low, striking her in the shins. Then he brought it around the other way, hitting the back of her knees. Kadi crumpled to the ground. He slammed in, trying to break her ribs. Kadi rolled to the side, jabbing at his leg with her sword. The bandit leapt back, and swung again.

Kadi climbed to her feet, dodging his blow. She struck in. He blocked it and spun his staff. The sword stuck in the wood. Kadi hung on, trying to yank it free. Instead she went with the sword, landing against a tree trunk. She licked her lips. The taste of warm blood hit her. She got to her feet, struggling.

_I will _never _give up_, she told herself, blocking as the bandit struck again. She blocked again and again, hoping for an opening. He swung downwards. She blocked him. He swung the other side around, and connected with her stomach.

"Umph!" The air was knocked out of Kadi, and she landed against another tree trunk, panting. The sword was still in her hand when the staff came down again. She thrust the sword up, and kept her elbows bent, trying to hold it off.

He pulled away and swung downwards. He slammed the end into Kadi's stomach. She yelped in pain, moaning. Then he crashed down on her ribs. She could almost feel them snap. It came down again, smashing into her leg. He slammed her again and again.

The black folds of cloth fell away from his face. A wicked grin was plastered across it. He slammed down on her stomach again.

Kadi choked. She couldn't breathe. A horrible taste rose in her mouth. She gagged. Her throat twisted tight as he slammed her stomach again and again. Pain bit down on her throat. It hurt. Fire was burning in her stomach. The pain in her throat was wretched. He slammed down again, and the pain made white lights explode in Kadi's vision. It peaked as a rushing feeling tore across her throat, and she threw up, lying on her back.

The bandit was cackling now, slamming her stomach again and again. The pain was making Kadi go mad. She couldn't move. She hurt in every part. She lay there, throwing up as the bandit tortured her.

"Leave her be." Kadi could barely hear the voice. Her eyes were tight shut against all the pain. The bandit stopped hitting her stomach. For a minute she could breath. The taste in her mouth was horrible, but at least she wasn't throwing up for a second.

"Lord Canhoy! She is all yours."

"Of course she is," the man replied. Kadi felt a cold dagger pushed against her body. The man sliced off her clothing. But she was too weak to fight. She didn't even try to fight while he raped her. She felt him draw back, and heard the rustling of him putting his clothing back on. Then he stomped on her stomach with ferocity. Kadi threw up again, the pain in her throat returning to new levels. She was bruised and hurt. And now she lay cold in the dirt--the snow couldn't break the Royal Forest's canopy. She wore no clothing; she had been raped and tortured.

Kadi closed her eyes and cried.

**R-E-V-I-E-W! Please? **


	5. Battered

**Chapter Five**

**Battered**

_A gentle breeze blew across the field, knocking the bright green stalks of grass around. Blades of it brushed along Kadi's calves, tickling her, until she slapped the grass irritably away. The dress she wore was a pale yellow in color, with a loose fitting bodice and a skirt that flapped around her ankles, dancing in the wind. The breeze turned into a hard wind, and her hair lifted off her neck. A shiver passed down her spine, a feeling of foreboding creeping into her chest. _

_"Arany?" a man's voice called out, drawn to her by the wind. _

_Black hair blew into her face as Kadi whipped around, hands clenched at her sides. That voice had haunted her dreams for years. Never again did she want to be under its command._

_The man walked up to her, his straight, shoulder-length, black hair whipping in the wind. "Arany, you should know better."_

_"I'm not Arany!" Tears ran down her face no matter how hard she fought them. Her throat was tight with anger, and pain which was not hers. "Arany is dead! She's dead! And I will _never _be her, no matter how badly you want it! Stop trying to make me! I will _never_ be Arany!"_

_The man stared blankly at the girl crying in front of him, her face screwed up in rage as she fought to hide her tears. "You are Arany," he replied unfeelingly. "You were born Arany. You can never change that. Changing a name doesn't mean anything. You were created as Arany. . . and Arany is who you shall be."_

_"Arany is _DEAD_! She died when I was little! How is she supposed to rest in peace if you won't let her go?" Kadi demanded, falling to her knees in the grass, tears streaming down her face, her hands clenched into fists._

_"Maybe Arany_ is _dead," the black haired man replied icily. "But if she is, it's because _you _killed her."_

Kadi woke with a start, shivering uncontrollably as a icy wind whipped over her body. She thought she could faintly hear voices, and in seconds they grew closer as she strained to hear them.

"Mithros. . ."

It took her a moment to place that voice as Alanna's, and she recognized the snort of horses. There was a stomp, and gentle thumps of boots and people leapt off their mounts.

"In the name of the Gods!"

"Mithros damn it!" That was Alanna's voice again, much closer now.

Hooves stamped along the ground, and she recognized the sound of galloping horses. Two more sets of boots clomped to the ground, and she heard more murmuring. "Horse Lords. . ." The rough, but feminine voice had to be Buri's, Kadi realized faintly.

"Kadi, what happened?"

She moaned, peeling her eyes open. She ached all over, though it was a dull and gentle throb, and some part of her pointed out that it should probably have hurt more. Jonathan was kneeling next to her.

Kadi whimpered, tried to scramble backwards, and slipped. A scream escaped her lips as her beaten body slammed back into the ground, and blinding pain crashed through her. A sharp breeze cut the air, blowing her vomit caked hair into her face. Her stomach ached painfully as she curled up, lips trembling. Shaking, she curled herself around her right arm.

"What is it?" Jonathan asked softly, moving slowly towards her on his hands and knees.

"No!" Kadi yelped, trying to move again. Her fingers slipped on a patch of vomit-covered grass, however, and she landed painfully on her bruised back, another round of blinding pain stabbing at her. Images flashed through in her mind, and fire burned between her legs.

Jonathan started to move forward again, but Alanna grabbed the back of his tunic, hauling him to his feet. "Can't you see you're scaring her?" she demanded, violet eyes flashing.

"But I--"

"Just. . . shut up," the Lioness instructed, rubbing her temples. She walked over to Kadi, crouching next to her.

The younger girl laid there, her eyes wide with fear as Alanna studied the bruises and wounds that covered her. The knight's eyes narrowed as they slid down her body, and finally she looked up, meeting Kadi's eyes.

"Who did this?" she asked firmly, but gently at the same time. Carefully, she touched her shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around Kadi, careful of the arm the younger girl cradled.

Kadi swallowed, her throat tight with fear. She eyed Jonathan, then looked over his shoulder at Gary and Raoul. Shakes gripped her, and she trembled uncontrollably while Alanna held her, a dull ache sinking deeper into her battered flesh.

Thayet came over, kneeling on the girl's other side. "What happened?" she asked, soothingly rubbing Kadi's hair. "It's okay." Her eyes caught the fear in the younger girl's hazel eyes, and she glanced at the men. "Go," she ordered, motioning with her hand for them to back up.

"Gary, Raoul, Jon, one of you, give us your tunic," Alanna snapped a moment later.

Raoul moved first, pulling his off without a moment of hesitation. He took a step forward, and Kadi whimpered again, trying to scramble backwards. She was caught by Alanna's firm arms, however, and only a slight pain jarred her body. Buri walked over and took the tunic from the burly knight. Together, Alanna and Thayet lifted Kadi into a sitting position, while the girl ground her teeth to keep the rising waves of pain at bay,--what would happen when they came too close?--and Buri slipped the large tunic over the youngest girl's head.

Kadi yelped as Buri's hands touched her bruised body, and a dawning realization crashed on her that she had been naked in front of the men. She began to struggle in fear, but her body burned in every muscle, every bone, every nerve, and morphed her struggles into a pitiful flailing. The pain in her leg was the worst, and she screamed out, holding her arm tighter against her chest.

Gary and Raoul took a few more steps backwards, going to stand with the horses, but Jonathan hesitated for a moment. Thayet glanced meaningfully at Buri, who in turn left the huddle again to grab him by the arms and haul him over to the other men, despite her small stature. Had it been any other time, Kadi might have laughed at the picture.

"Who did this?" Alanna asked again, her arms around Kadi's shoulders. She held the girl close, trying to keep the pounding of her own heart at bay.

Buri knelt down by Kadi's feet after a last glare back at the men, inspecting her broken leg. "There, there, and there," she announced after a minute, pointing to three points. "I think that's where it's broken, Alanna. Can you fix it?"

The knight closed her eyes for a minute, the expression on her face growing distant. After a minute she opened them again. "No. Duke Baird will have to." She looked at the men, who waited by the horses, however impatiently. "Now, will you please tell us who in Mithros and the Goddess's name did this?"

The images of words were growing bleary in Kadi's mind as the images of the man came to her. His fingers, cold on her skin; roaming. . . the pain between her legs. . .

"She speaks K'mir."

Kadi started, a fresh bout of shivering gripping her body as Jonathan spoke, and the blinding pain seeping into her bones. The dull ache from before was starting to really flare out, and she was realizing that her new wounds were quite capable of protesting far louder than they had been. . . Alanna continued to hold her tight, while Thayet started to whisper soothingly in K'mir. The voices went on, and Kadi just wished she could die as she shook from head to toe.

"_Al ane siel nir cotak_?" At first Buri's words made no sense to Kadi, and then they came clear. "Won't you tell us who did this?"

Kadi shivered with fear, and Alanna's arms tightened around her, the pain sinking even deeper than she had thought was possible anymore. Thayet continued to stroke Kadi's hair softly, but Buri stared at her, black eyes kind and gentle, but demanding all the same.

"_Ishn ne. . . ne colio ascar di fecarina. . . acanshanti malasnis. . . murcaof smao. . . eritat micaca. . . anmerar fentar becolio shappa coso. . . sal malani_!" Kadi wailed, a single tear slipping from her eyes. And even the ache of a single tear seemed to send more violent seizures through her, and that horrible, searing pain.

"'I was tortured,'" Buri began softly, reiterating what Kadi had said in Common, "'beaten, and raped.'" Buri shuddered, running a hand through her short, black hair. "_Asacar dian fielco_?" she asked, rocking back on her heels. "Do you know the man's name?"

"_Ishn heyito nirican_," Kadi whispered, the hotness at the corners of her eyes blinding her as much as the fire that coursed through her veins.

"'I do not remember,'" Buri whispered tightly, her face cold.

"_Nirakshan mey_."

"'His man told me,'" Buri translated through clenched teeth.

"_Isicar nial soco_."

"'Cannot remember. . .'" Buri's face was red with rage. "Dammit!" she snarled, punching the ground.

Alanna glanced at Thayet, her face white from the terror of it all, and red from rage. Thayet met the knight's gaze evenly, her own face a mixture of red and white as well.

"_Niracoshan miracalan_?"

Thayet nodded, not waiting for Buri's translation to everyone else. "Let's go back to the palace," she agreed, stroking Kadi's hair with soft fingers. Buri nodded, her face set grimly.

Alanna shifted under Kadi, her eyes drifting towards the depths of the forest, and her expression growing worried. "What's that?" she asked, sniffing.

Kadi shivered harder as the wind whipped her bare limbs again; only her torso was covered by Raoul's tunic. A familiar heat bit at her eyes but she denied the tears their descent, and the white-hot pain that was her arm and leg grew more agonizing with every second, while an acrid smell lit the forest, that made her curl into Alanna's grip, shaking more violently than before, and trying not to move for fear of the pain it would invoke.

"Fire," Buri muttered, making a face. "Someone's been burned nearby. Can you smell it guys? Charred flesh," she went on, not waiting for an answer. A sharp scream cut the air as she finished speaking.

Kadi sat bolt upright, barely feeling the pain that shot like a lance through her body. The scream was a horse's. It cut right into her very brain, digging into every part of her being.

"What is it?" Thayet asked calmly. But Kadi seemed stuck in K'mir; she wouldn't speak Common, or acknowledge it, so Thayet tried again. "_Siel elrioc neifoon_?"

"_Carvalo irsan mukliof_," Kadi whispered, her lips hanging slightly apart when she finished speaking. Her whole expression was stunned, and her body jerked again. Alanna held her tight as she began to scream, her body shaking with each scream, until silent sobs wracked her. The horse's pain was her own, and it felt like a knife was trying to gut her.

"Let's get her back to the palace," Alanna grunted, holding Kadi down with more difficulty than she would have expected. "Then I have a deal to settle with someone." Her eyes were like stones, unmoving and cold, as she gathered Kadi effortlessly into her arms, even though the girl was taller than she.

"Wait," Jonathan reached out, and grabbed Alanna's arm. She started; when had he gotten so close? "She can ride with me. Aranho's stronger than Chocolate anyway."

The shriek cut into Kadi's head again, and her body spasmed in response to the horse's wild screams. She cried out as the horse did, feeling its pain, and her own. It felt as if a blunt-edged sword cut into her middle, carving her slowly to pieces as she died in her own pain. Then, as abruptly as they had started, the horse's screams stopped, and she opened her eyes.

_Pain. . . fire on her skin. . . the man's cold touch. . . the fire that still smoldered between her legs. . . the sore spots all over her body. . ._

Kadi whimpered, trembling in Alanna's arms. Jonathan stared at her, his sapphire eyes slightly glazed.

"_Vivak dirancan_!"

Her plea went ignored to those who spoke Common, and Thayet and Buri kept it to themselves. Jonathan continued to stare, his expression hurt.

"_Ishn shivala irlio curasca manturien_," Jonathan whispered softly. "I will not hurt you."

"_Marlak tivvackantria_!" Kadi whimpered, clinging to Alanna harder as she shook. "So they all say."

"I promise," Jonathan whispered in K'mir, holding his hand out to her. "Take my hand; I promise I will protect you."

"Don't make promises," Kadi spat in K'mir, the bruises on her stomach pounding in her skull as she shook, breathing raggedly, "that you can't keep."

Jonathan's eyes flashed for a moment, then settled back to their usual calm. "What makes you think it's a promise I cannot keep?" His voice was icy as his tongue curled around the K'mir language as if he had been raised speaking it.

"Because," she whispered, the shaking in her body subsiding some. Abruptly, she spoke her words in Marenese instead of K'mir. "I have yet to meet someone who can keep the promises they make, unless they are small."

"I will keep you safe," Jonathan went on, switching tongues as easily as she did. "I am King. I have the King's Own at my command. And I have Alanna, Thayet, and Buri."

"You think it matters?" Kadi cried out, the tremors gone as she cried out her feelings. "Alanna did not keep her promise. She said she would protect me! Do you see what happened?"

"Yet you trust her," Jonathan whispered quietly.

_Jonathan's lips. . . soft. . . pushing gently against hers. . ._

Kadi whimpered, the images of Jonathan's innocent kiss from before bringing forth the images of pain and fear the man had imprinted on her. Her bruises were tender, and the ones he had inflicted pulsed with her heartbeat.

"Alanna, let me take her," Jonathan said softly, switching back to Common again.

Alanna glared. "Why should I?" she demanded icily.

Jonathan closed his eyes. "Do you want me to _order _you?" he snarled, his eyes open and flashing. He met her glare evenly. "I could. But I don't think you really want me to."

"Make me," Alanna snapped right back at him, eyes narrowed.

"Alright," Jonathan returned reasonably.

With a snarl from deep in her throat, Alanna handed Kadi stiffly over to Jonathan. The girl tensed in his arms, and he took his coat off, and wrapped it around her shoulders, and rubbed her cheek, which was red from the cold. Carefully, he pushed her into Aranho's saddle, and she bit her lip against the pain that rushed through her at the jarring motion. Then he mounted up behind her, his arms around her waist.

_Warm. . . drowsy. . . sleep. . ._

"I'm after them, then," Alanna announced stiffly. "Mind if I take the others?"

Jonathan shook his head, eyes flat.

"Alright, Gary, Raoul, Buri, Thayet, you're with me. Jon--if you let _anything _happen to her. . ." She let her threat hang as she and the others mounted and galloped into the depths of the Royal Forest.

The tightness stretched across Kadi's face as she sat up straight, even though the pain dug into her as she did so. But she was determined not to lean against Jonathan. Aranho moved up to a gentle canter, however, and the rocking motion pushed her back against the king. His arm tightened protectively around her waist, warmth flooding from him to her.

Then the tears came. Kadi could not fight them off, and they flowed fast and hard, rocking her body with them. Reluctantly, she leaned back into Jonathan's grip, crying steadily as he held her tight, and Aranho gently carried them back to the palace.

**WEE! I've done it. It took me sooo long to come up with that chapter, and I'm so sorry. Also, I dedicate this chapter to my beta for this story, who helped me come up with it! So, yay Niko!**


	6. Ambushed

**Chapter Six**

**Ambushed**

Alanna rode silently, containing her fury. Under her, Chocolate fidgeted and made random bursts of speed against his mistress's tense movements on his back. Around Alanna, the other horses and their riders moved steadily. Ralnsin and Tierinel had no trouble keeping up with the larger mounts, and instead moved easily ahead.

Gary urged Thief over next to her. "You're okay, right?" he asked, gently reaching over to touch her arm.

She jerked away from him, and Chocolate swerved to the side at the abrupt motion. Irritably, Alanna kicked the horse back to be next to Gary. "Do you _think_ I'm alright?" she asked coldly, standing up in the stirrups to look over her shoulder, as if she would see Jon and Kadi heading back to the palace.

The big knight smirked. "I'd be crazy to think that." His expression suddenly turned serious. "I just. . . I know you said you'd protect her, Alanna, but don't blame yourself, she went off on her own."

The Lioness shifted in her saddle, staring at the forest ahead. "It's my fault, Gary," she muttered after a moment. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and saw him shaking his head. "She was tortured, beaten, and _raped_, Gary. I said I'd _protect_ her. How is that not my fault?"

"You weren't _there_!" Gary snarled, cuffing the back of her head. With a snarl, she grabbed his hand, digging her nails between his thumb and first finger. "Ow," he whined, trying to free his hand.

Alanna's eyes flashed, and her tone was cold when she whispered, "I said I'd protect her." She glared at him for a minute, her voice choking as she went on. "And I wasn't there to save her from that. If that isn't my fault, than I'm not the Lioness," she snarled, letting his hand go.

"Hang on!" Thayet pulled Ralnsin to a halt, and the mare spun in a tight circle to slow down. Tierinel halted next to the chestnut, her nostrils flaring. Thayet sniffed deeply, and made a face. "Up ahead," she announced quietly, leaping softly from the saddle.

Alanna nodded grimly, recognizing the proximity of the acrid scent as well, and swung out of Chocolate's saddle. The others followed suit, tying their horses to nearby trees. "For Kadi," Alanna whispered coldly, drawing her sword, Glory's Bane.

Completely out of nowhere, Raoul yelped, though quickly stifled the noise. "What?" Alanna demanded in a hoarse whisper, eyeing the forest to make sure he had not given away their position.

"Beast bit me," Raoul snarled, putting his bloody finger into his mouth. "Damn you, Rebel. . ."

"Are you okay?" Thayet asked. "Let me see." She took Raoul's hand, and examined it. "Ouch. Alanna, you might want to fix this one up for him."

Grumbling, Alanna walked over quietly, and took her friend's hand from Thayet. She closed her eyes, and applied her magic in a trick she had been taught by Maude as a child. It lanced through his finger, welding the skin back together and stemming the blood flow.

"Let's go," Gary whispered, drawing his sword. Thayet nodded, grabbing a short bow off of Ralnsin's saddle. Her quiver followed the bow onto her shoulder, and she loosened her sword in its scabbard. Buri grabbed a crossbow from Tierinel's saddle, and her own arrows. The group also grabbed warm coats from their saddlebags as the temperature began to drop. Then the small group walked quietly into the forest.

Alanna went first, her feet silent in the lush green grass and dew covered leaves. Above, the sky darkened. The forest grew thin as they moved on, and the trees barren of leaves moved further apart, offering a wider view of the sky. It started to snow softly, only some making it through the canopy of trees.

"Lovely," Alanna muttered darkly, pulling her wool jacket tighter around herself. "I hate the cold."

On they crept, the smell of fire and burned flesh growing. Alanna threw up her hand, signaling the others to halt. Then she signaled them to take cover and ducked behind a large rock, peering over the edge.

"I told you," a man's voice snarled, "that you would pay if you did anything stupid. You've given them a trail right to us. For all we know they could be anywhere by now! Even right on top of us."

She lifted her head a little higher, and saw a wide clearing. In the clearing, the snow had fallen six inches thick or so, and she could see two men. His back was to her, but she could tell he was older; his hair was salt and pepper colored. He wore a leather jacket with loose breeches. The man in front of him could be no more than twenty, and wore black from head to toe.

"What'd I do?" the younger man asked.

"Fire! You idiot," the other snarled. "They can follow it. It smells, you know?" With a growl, he shoved the young man onto the ground, next to the fire. "You'll die for your stupidity," he whispered venomously. Then he shoved the man's head into the flames.

The young man shrieked as the blaze ate his flesh, while the acridity in the air grew to almost unbearable levels. Alanna stared, not even realizing that she held her breath. Abruptly, the man's shrieks stopped, and his body convulsed into a series of death throes. The Lioness shuddered, her eyes on the other man.

"Why you--" someone behind Alanna whispered.

A scream cut the air. Alanna spun around, crouched behind the rock.

"Horse Lords curse you," someone--probably Thayet or Buri--snarled.

She moved cautiously through the shallow snow, careful not to step on any twigs. Black cloth moved. Alanna leapt, Glory's Bane coming down on the black clothed man. His corpse collapsed, his head rolled, and blood poured into the snow as he convulsed, then was still.

"Are you okay?" Alanna whispered, kicking the corpse to the side, and eyeing the trees atop a ridge she hadn't noticed before.

"As good as can be," Thayet returned, her face white with pain, "as I can be when I've just been shot in the shoulder."

"You going to live?" Alanna asked, rephrasing her question. Thayet grunted, adjusting herself against the tree on which she leaned.

"I've lived through worse before, Alanna," she pointed out dryly. "There!" She pointed to the ridge to her right. In the tree, black flashed.

Alanna stared at it, and grabbed Thayet's bow. "You can't work it anyway," she snapped as the woman started to protest. With a careful eye, Alanna took quick aim, and fired. The arrow struck, and the man fell out of the tree. She saw the black of his clothes move again, and he got up, aiming an arrow for Alanna's heart.

The arrow came, and Alanna danced to the side, causing it to fly harmlessly past. She notched another arrow. This one struck the man again, but he got to his feet. "Your aim is horrible," Thayet whispered mirthfully.

Alanna made a face, and notched a third. This time, when she struck, the man did not rise again. She wiped the bow on her breeches, and handed it back to Thayet. Then she crept back to her own hiding place.

The Lioness paused, suddenly realizing how quiet the clearing was. Surely the man had heard the exchange? Nervously, she glanced over the top of the rock, sword at the ready.

The man with the black and white hair was still standing there, watching the corpse burn. Alanna made a face. _Well, we know where the stupid smell comes from_, she thought, rubbing her sleeve over her aching nose. _Now, are you the man who_--her face hardened, her eyes dark and angry--_tortured, beat, and raped Kadi?_

"_Huclapo! Huclapo!_" Alanna spun around as men dressed in black came in from the depths forest. She did a quick head count; there were at least twenty of them. A quick glance toward the older man proved that he had fled.

"Mithros damn him," Alanna cursed vehemently, swinging Glory's Bane as the first three men closed in on her.

Thayet yelped from her hiding place, and Alanna swung furiously. Bane came down, and the man didn't run soon enough. A gouge opened on his stomach, and blood poured. He fell to his knees, his eyes wide with panic; Alanna had already moved on. She swung at the next man, who parried her with a giant wooden mace. Up and under. Score! Bane struck him on the thigh, carving a path up the inside of his left leg. His screams became high pitched as Bane bit into his groin, and she grinned icily, and yanked the blade free, blocking as the next man came at her with a sword. To the side, and back. She danced away from his wild swings, and grabbed the loose folds of his clothes. With a roar of triumph, she slammed his head into the boulder, and drew Bane across his spine. He collapsed to the snow with the others.

A wild light lit Alanna's eyes as she leapt the corpses, heading towards Thayet, and sliced to the side. The man's head rolled from where his body knelt over her friend. She spun to the side, and caught her foot on the back of the next man's knees. He glanced at her, startled as he caught himself. The last thing he saw was the Lioness's violet eyes flashing, then Bane ran him through and he fell to the ground, sputtering. Someone jumped on her from behind, but in her wild rage she found the strength to slam him into a tree. He grunted, but hung on. Swearing, she shook her shoulders, and dropped, rolling in the snow. He tried to grab her hair, but she rolled back onto her feet and spun around, dizzying him, before managing to scratch his side along a tree. His feet caught the ground, and he shoved her into the same tree, scraping her face across the trunk. She bit back a scream as the bark ripped into her skin, pulling it off. Blood fell across her face, sticky and warm on her chapped face. His grip loosened for a second, and Alanna let out a whoop of triumph, stabbing Bane backwards, hilt first. The pommel connected with his side, and she felt his ribs crack through the weapon. For a second, he faltered, and she leapt free of his grasp, running her sword through his back.

"That doesn't look good," Thayet whispered weakly as the last man near her collapsed from the dagger she had driven through his heart. She closed her eyes, her face screwed up in pain, and the Lioness saw the blood that pooled out from under her hand.

"You're hurt," Alanna stated, dropping to the ground beside her. The adrenaline pounded in her ears, and for once she hardly noticed the snow. The blood dribbled down her face, reminding her sickly of drool, but she shook the feeling away.

Thayet moved her hand away from where blood was pooling on the right side of her stomach, across her green wool coat. "Yes?" she replied weakly. Her eyes were glazed over. Then, with a grunt, her eyes flickered shut, and she fell on her side.

"Thayet?" Alanna shook her shoulder gently. "Thayet?!" She stripped the coat away from the wound, and pulled the other woman's tunic up. Shaking, she yanked her shirt out of her breeches, and put her hand over the wound. Blood poured across her hand, and she shuddered as it warmed her cold body. Her eyes flickered shut, and she reached into her magic. It waited for her, swirling amongst its own purple depths. Slowly she drew it out, a string at a time, and wrapped it into Thayet's wound like a common medic might a poultice. She burned off the beginning traces of infection, then pulled at the skin with it. The blood slowed as she pushed it back, telling it to harden and scab.

Finally, she opened her eyes, and Thayet's wound was a red-brown mark. Alanna pulled her shirt, tunic, and coat back around her, and got shakily to her feet. She swayed uncertainly for a moment, and then gripped a tree. Blinding white pain shot through her back. "Why, you little--"

"Alanna!" Gary saw Alanna fall face-first into the snow, and turned towards the hill. The man with salt and pepper hair was there, a bow in his hand. The knight launched himself at Thayet's short bow, and took aim. He fired, and the man leapt out of the way, disappearing over the other side of the white hillock. "Alanna? Alanna?!" Gary knelt down next to his friend. His gaze swept her back, and locked on the arrow buried in a rapidly growing red-patch by her left shoulder. "Damn," he swore. "Raoul! Buri!"

With a grunt, Buri shoved a man's corpse off her and ran over. Raoul wiped at his forehead as he came, trying to stem the blood that threatened to fall into his eyes.

"Alanna?" Gary's voice was tense as he pulled a dagger from his belt. Trying to keep his fingers from shaking too badly, he cut the arrow's shaft, and pulled it carefully out. Alanna screamed, but did not rise to consciousness. "Let's get back to the palace."

Raoul nodded, wiping at his forehead again. "Here," Buri grunted, pulling a cloth from her pocket and holding it to his head.

Easily, Gary lifted Alanna over his shoulder, careful of her own, and got to his feet. "We'll tie her and Thayet to their saddles, and lead the horses. I doubt we have too," he added, looking at Buri's narrowed eyes. "But we should anyway. That way, if they spook, we don't have to chase them."

Raoul pushed the cloth on his forehead away, and lifted Thayet. Together, the group made their way back to the horses. It only took a few moments for them to strap Alanna and Thayet to the saddles, and then they set off, the snow beginning to break through the thicker parts of the forest.

**I've done it! I finished that chapter! Whehehehe! Anyway, please tell me what you think, because I'm having lots of fun writing this--now that I finally got back to it--and hope you're having fun reading it. Constructive criticism welcome--as always! **


	7. Plots, and Betrayal

**Chapter Seven**

**Plots, and Betrayal**

Kadi pulled her wool jacket tighter around herself. Her crutches leaned against the wooden bench while she watched her friends practice in the outdoor training courts. It had to be well below freezing, and they were still practicing outside, their shirts open. Of course, that wasn't really a bad thing.

"_This _is what you do for _fun_?" Lorena asked incredulously, shifting her amber skirts uncomfortably.

"Did you have something you wanted to say?" the other girl returned icily. They still hadn't made up for their fight. Now the whole thing just seemed. . . pointless. It had no meaning to Kadi, not with everything else that had happened to her lately.

Lorena winced, twisting the lace on the tiny waist of her skirt. "All right," she muttered at last. "I should have said it a long time ago. . ." She shook her head, her mouth a grim line. "But you know me. I don't forgive and forget. . . I-I remember. . ." She shook her head again, and her straight brown hair fell into her face. She didn't move it, something Kadi always remembered her doing. "A-and I don't forgive."

"Yes," Kadi replied bitterly. "I'm well aware that you're on your way to being an ice-princess, Lorena."

"I just. . ." she broke off, her voice choked. "I'm sorry. . . okay? I can forget. . . after. . . you know."

"No, I don't know," the black haired girl snapped, glaring at her ex-best friend. The anger that consumed her was shocking, but it had a right to be there. So, why not make Lorena suffer for all the time Kadi had worried what she would think? "Tell me."

"You know. . . the forest. . ." Lorena was blubbering now, waving her arms for effect. "I. . . I couldn't stay mad after that. I realized what a bitch I'd been, and how horrible your life has been since you came to the palace."

"For the second time," Kadi added sullenly.

"I know. . . it was pretty horrible the first time, too, huh?"

"That wasn't the half of it." She waved a hand, as if to push off the memory that hung inches away from her conscious. "What Father did after was."

"He was pretty mad at you for leaving, wasn't he?" Lorena's voice was low and worried. When Kadi looked up and met her gaze, she found that the other girl's eyes had softened, and held sympathy now.

"That's not the half of it. In fact. . . No. There's no 'half' of my life. It's all one big disaster, right after another."

"Well, well, well. What have we here?"

Gary. Kadi recognized the voice at once. She and he had practiced over and over, and now she was ready. As payback they were going to play a prank on Lorena, and then Kadi would consider being her friend again.

"Two pretty ladies, is that it?" Raoul came up, and clapped Gary on the shoulder, fixing a hungry leer on his face. "Well, they'll do nicely. You get the one on the right Arnold, I'll take the one on the left."

Kadi shrieked, mock-fear being drowned out by how funny the look of terror on Lorena's face was. Gary threw her over his shoulder, and began to run out of the practice courts, and onto the field that led to the Royal Forest.

Raoul grinned. "Hop on," he commanded, turning around.

Kadi threw her arms around his neck, and let him put his arm under her good leg where she wrapped it around his stomach. Her broken leg hung limply as he charged forward to catch up with Gary and Lorena.

"K-Kadi, you know how. . . how to fight!" Lorena wailed as Gary bounced along the field, a carefree look on his face.

"We're being kidnapped!" Kadi cried, pushing her face into Raoul's shoulder to stifle the following burst of laughter. "Help, help!"

_You are so silly_.

The sound of hooves followed Everglade's remark, and the mare charged up alongside Raoul, black mane flying out backwards, reins dancing in the wind. She neighed sharply, and slowed to match Raoul's speed.

Kadi grabbed onto the mare's mane, and swung herself up, disentangling herself from Raoul's arms. He grinned brightly, and hopped up behind her.

Everglade snorted at the extra weight, but charged forward nonetheless. The girl grabbed onto the reins, and leaned back against Raoul as the mare cantered steadily closer to Lorena and Gary.

"Kick him off!" Lorena yelled, her eyes wild with fear.

Some part of Kadi realized that what she was doing was a bit mean, but the vengeful part persisted. Lorena had been mean to her for months, for absolutely no valid reason. A little payback was justly earned.

Everglade drew even with Gary, and they slowed. Gary dropped to a walk, just as the mare did, and dropped Lorena softly onto the grass.

"Okay. Joke's up," he said, panting.

"What?" Lorena's eyes were wide with shock.

"It's payback," Kadi replied simply. "You were mad at me about nothing. I think I justly deserved that. Lorena, meet Sir Gareth of Naxen the younger, a.k.a. Gary. And Sir Raoul of Goldenlake."

Lorena made a stifled choking noise. "You're. . . You two are. . . The King's right-hand men?"

Gary smirked. "Yup. That's us." He offered a hand. Lorena stared at him, anger boiling in her eyes. She pursed her lips, and raised her shoulders. Then she let out her breath, literally deflating, it seemed, and stared sulkily at the ground.

"You're such a weirdo," she informed Kadi. After another moment, she glanced up, but she was smiling. Then she laughed and took Gary's hand. "Nice to meet you."

Kadi smiled. "_Now _I forgive you, Lorena."

(X)(X)

Kadi finished her bath, and dressed in a thin red dress made of soft satin. The neckline was dangerously low, and she loved the way it made swishing noises around her feet as she moved. With a heavy sigh, she lay down on her bed and began to read.

There was a gentle knock on the door after a few minutes.

"Come in," she called, remembering that she unlocked it after she got out of the bath.

The door opened, and there was a soft click as it closed again. With difficulty, she kept her eyes on her book. She wanted firm indifference in place. She knew it would be Jonathan; he had promised he'd come.

"Hey." He sat down lightly on the edge of her bed, and smiled. For a moment she couldn't breathe, and it felt as if her heart had stopped. He wore a pair of loose-fitting gray pants, something she had never seen before. His shirt's cuffs were unbuttoned, and his blood red tunic was done all the way up his neck. Black hair fell lightly across one of his brilliantly blue eyes.

Kadi swallowed, hard. "H-hey," she replied, her voice shaking. Gently, she put her book down, and stared at him. She tried not to, but she couldn't help it. He was absolutely gorgeous at that moment.

"I came by to see how you were doing," he said, running his fingers, almost nervously, through his hair. "How's the leg?"

"Not so bad. Duke Baird's got me on about a million pain-killing spells though. It's pretty useless right now, but at least it doesn't hurt." _Unlike my pride_, she added silently, bitterly.

"That's good." His voice was soft and quiet, with a sort of restrained sound about it. When she met his eyes, they were sparkling, as if there were emotions fighting within them. A clash of beasts, she thought.

There was a long pause between them. Kadi wrapped one of her undone curls around her finger, strangely self-conscious of the low neckline of her dress. She'd worn lower before. But. . . never in front of someone like. . . like Jon.

The thud of her heart increased, and she could almost feel it pound against her ribcage. She'd thought of him as Jon. Not Jonathan. Jon. . . She tried it again, and liked the way it sounded in her mind.

"You. . . you look beautiful tonight," Jon whispered huskily. She smiled, and noticed that his eyes were drawn to the low neckline of her dress.

The rapid beat of her heart increased, and she felt the flush spreading across her cheeks. Her throat grew tight. Was he going to kiss her? Would she let him? It wasn't the first time something horrible had happened to her. And Duke Baird had said she'd gotten over the shock of it incredibly fast. If only he knew. . . But no. She wouldn't go there. Not now, not ever.

Jon scooted closer to her. Kadi leaned deep into the pillows behind her. Her fingers absently slid down his arm. They end up in his open palm. He glanced down, fire burning in his eyes. Slowly, almost timidly, his hand closed, and he threaded his fingers through hers.

He leaned down, so close that she could feel his warm breath on her face, could see the desire that burned in his eyes.

"_I love you, Kadi."_

_Her breath caught in her throat. Astrik. He loved her? "I. . ."_

"_You don't have to say it," Astrik told her. "I just want you to know that's how I feel. Before you leave. I understand that you're still young. That you still don't know what you want. It's okay, really."_

"_No," she whispered softly. "I love. . . I love you."_

Her pledge. . . It flashed before her eyes as Jon leaned down, his lips almost on hers.

"No," she whispered gruffly. "No." More firmly this time. "I'm sorry. I'm. . . I'm not ready, Jon. Not yet. Maybe. . ." She shook her head.

For a minute she could have sworn she saw anger in his eyes. But then it vanished. "Yeah, okay."

(X)(X)

Kadi picked at her eggs the next morning. Alanna was practicing wrestling with Raoul. Thayet and Buri were practicing their K'miri trick riding. Gary was talking to his father about some boring map. And she didn't know where Jon was.

There was a murmur that swept through everyone having breakfast, and she glanced up, wondering what the morning gossip was about. Jonathan smiled at a blonde girl in a pale pink dress. She smiled back, and said something. He said something in reply. She nodded, and he kissed her cheek. Then he came over and sat down next to Kadi.

She looked angrily up through her eyelashes at him. "Who was that?" she asked, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

"That was Lady Thaliah of Arock," he said, scanning a paper he had pulled from his tunic critically. "I'm taking her to the ball tonight. I didn't figure you'd want to go."

Kadi recoiled visibly. There had been a sneer in his voice. But. . . Just because she didn't want to go. . . that didn't give him a right to take someone else. Weren't they technically together? Didn't that mean he either took her, or no one? But no, she reasoned. He was king, obviously he had to take someone.

"Well, you're right. I don't want to go. At least not with you," she muttered, shaking her head.

He looked up sharply, glaring at her. "What was that?"

"You going to order me to tell you? J-just because you're king. . . well, it-it doesn't mean I'd tell you." She gritted her teeth, glaring daggers into him. "In fact. . . have some soup!" She grabbed her soup bowl, and hurled it at him. Her aim was off, but some of the soup still splattered the side of his face. He blinked. "Besides," she stood up, grabbing her crutches, "you know perfectly well what I said."

She stalked angrily away from him, from the room.

"Lady Thaliah of Arock," she mimicked. "Well, I hope he has fun. Maybe he'll get some love afterwards too. Mithros knows that's probably all he wants. . . It's not fair." Kadi brushed angrily at the tears that slid down her cheeks.

"_Don't cry. I know it's over, but it's only the beginning." He held her tighter, kissing her hair._

"_No, Astrik. You don't understand. Here in Maren. . . I was safe. Because of you. But when I leave. . . He'll do it again. Just like he did it all the time. . ."_

_Astrik looked away, staring out across the firing range. The bow hung limp in Kadi's arm. She wouldn't look at him, but instead her eyes were fixed intently on the target. He unhooked one arm from around her waist, and touched her cheek from behind. He was surprised to find it was wet with tears._

"_Rape, torture. . . It's not a pretty world out there, Astrik. But for some reason. . . for some reason life has decided to hate me." She turned to face him, her eyes sparkling with more tears. "He's mean to me. He hurts me. And then he laughs. And my brothers can't help me. . . Or they won't. . . I don't know. . . !"_

"_I wish I could help you, Kadi."_

"_I wish you could too. But Father will never let me stay here. The court in Tortall is where he wants me."_

"_Not even if I asked you to marry me?"_

"_Not even then, Astrik. You're a commoner. He hates commoners. That's why we're moving to Tortall."_

"_You're a commoner here, Kadi."_

"_Yes. But in Tortall we'll become nobles. Of Reliem, he says. I'll be Lady Kadina of Reliem." She stared at her bare feet, the grass tickling her toes. _

_Astrik put his hand under her chin, lifting her eyes to his. "I'll always love you, lady or not. If there's any way I can help. . ." He let it drop, and lowered his face to hers. Their lips met, softly at first, and her eyes drifted closed._

_Kadi lost herself to the kiss, forgetting the world around her, if only for a short time. Her lips opened to him, and his tongue slid inside her mouth. A raging desire passed between them, and he pulled her closer, pushing his firm body against hers. His fingers slid down the back of her dress, his lips moving down her neck._

"_Oh. . . Horse Lords. . ." Kadi moaned. She gritted her teeth, and pulled back. "I. . . I have to go Astrik. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't do this."_

_He grimaced, and nodded. "Y-you're right. . . I-I'm sorry. Does. . . does it have to end? Li-like this. . .?"_

"_Yes, it does. In Tortall. . . Things will be different in Tortall."_

"_If. . . Kadi, can I ask you something?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I love you."_

"_That's not a question." She managed a slight smile, and reached up to touch his face. Her fingers curled into a fist, and she pulled her hand back, frowning. "I'm sorry."_

"_If-if you ever need me. . . ? Send for me. I'll come."_

"_I love you."_

The words rang in her head, and she leaned hard against the stone wall, breathing heavily.

_I can't do that_, she thought desperately. It was true. She couldn't send for Astrik. Not now, not ever. But who would she go to the ball with? Why go, come to think of it. What was the point? She had crutches, she wouldn't be able to dance.

No, she decided. She would go. If she didn't. . . Jonathan was only going with Lady Thaliah because he was mad at her. She figured he would get over it in time. But in the meantime, she would not let him win. She would go to the ball. And that was that. But who would go with her? Normally she would have been able to ask pretty much any eligible man at court. But since she had broken her leg, she wouldn't be able to dance.

"L-Lady Kadina?"

Kadi looked up from where she glared at the ground. Standing before her was the answer to all her troubles, if she played this right. He was about five ten, with blond hair that fell all over his face and his head, spilling nearly to his shoulders. There were brown and red highlights in his hair, and his eyes were a lush chocolate brown. His body wasn't massive, but it was hard, toned. Most importantly though, she felt an instant spark of attraction, but nothing that she wouldn't be able to ignore.

"Yes?" she asked sweetly. Some part of her mind, the reasonable part, presumably, said that it was wrong to use this man. But she didn't really care at that moment. She wanted to get back at Jon. And get back at him she would.

"I'm Sir Damzin of Arock. My sister's being presented at court tonight. So I actually have to show up at the ball, and I usually don't." He smiled shyly, a look that made Kadi's heart flutter. Yes, she could definitely use this young man. "Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to come with me?"

_Yes_, Kadi thought, but she didn't say this. She had to play this exactly right, make him the perfect pawn.

_You're being unfair to the man_! Everglade snapped, but the sound was faint because of the distance, and Kadi ignored it.

"Why ever would you want to take me, Sir Damzin? I can't dance, with my leg."

"I. . . uh. . . I don't really care about dancing. I'm bad at it actually, and I've seen you in court before. I. . . I-uh. . . I-I. . . uh. . . always thought you were pretty. . . very, very pretty. . ."

She smiled winningly, shifting her weight to free a hand, and running it through her springy black curls. "Well, you're rather good looking yourself."

A crimson flush spread across his cheeks, and she grinned inwardly, though the pang of doubt was growing. "I would love to come," she said at last. "I'll see you later."

**Ooh, I'm evil, yes? Anyway, on to the next chapter! Please review, by the way! It only takes a second, and it means so much to me!!! **


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